My ATL involves the Chinese invading North Vietnam in 1969 as an extension of the 1969 Sino-Soviet border clash. The Chinese leadership becomes concerned with Soviet naval activity on their southern border. The Chinese leadership also recognizes that the United States is growing weary of the Asian conflict and may withdraw, leaving Vietnam to become a united Soviet "colony" to their south.
The Chinese advise the Americans of the oncoming assault, invoking the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the Chinese agent advising American diplomats "Imagine Soviet troops 12 FEET from your border!!" US diplomats pass along the information to the US military. US military forces are advised of an impending Chinese invasion with clear wording "The assault is believed to involve a punitive assault against North Vietnamese forces" US forces are advised to accept any surrendering North Vietnamese soldiers as US POW's and to hold them. They are not to be turned over to Chinese forces. US naval forces are instructed to hold fire against any Chinese naval forces.
On March 20, 1969, the Chinese launch an invasion consisting of 150,000 troops supported by armor and support units cross the border and invade North Vietnam. North Vietnam rushes approximately 65,000 troops to meet the invading force. And a large number of regular forces were sent to defend Hanoi. The sheer size of the Chinese invasion force enabled it to crush North Vietnamese resistance. Soviet advisors asked Moscow for guidance of how to proceed as did Soviet naval forces. US military commanders were in constant communication with the Nixon Administration to establish new military guidelines involving two simultaneous conflicts... one that involved US forces with a second conflict that did not involve US forces as of this time.
Some points of discussion:
1. How would the Chinese invasion in 1969 alter US strategy? What would the impact be on the US peace movement? How would this alter the 1972 US Presidential election?
2. Do we believe that such an action would exacerbate the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict? If so, to what degree?
3. What in the heck do US forces do now? First, the US was fighting a guerilla war. Domestic policy inhibited the US from invading North Vietnam, now we see North Vietnam having to fight a two front war against two superpowers. We see the possibility of a Sino-Soviet nuclear conflict. Does the US withdraw from the area? Does the US consolidate South Vietnam? Does the US proceed to invade North Vietnam?
4. The Soviet Union would have a hard time supplying North Vietnam as their shipping routes would involve running a gauntlet of US and Chinese naval forces.
Please let me know your thoughts. This is a topic I had been thinking about for a while.
The Chinese advise the Americans of the oncoming assault, invoking the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the Chinese agent advising American diplomats "Imagine Soviet troops 12 FEET from your border!!" US diplomats pass along the information to the US military. US military forces are advised of an impending Chinese invasion with clear wording "The assault is believed to involve a punitive assault against North Vietnamese forces" US forces are advised to accept any surrendering North Vietnamese soldiers as US POW's and to hold them. They are not to be turned over to Chinese forces. US naval forces are instructed to hold fire against any Chinese naval forces.
On March 20, 1969, the Chinese launch an invasion consisting of 150,000 troops supported by armor and support units cross the border and invade North Vietnam. North Vietnam rushes approximately 65,000 troops to meet the invading force. And a large number of regular forces were sent to defend Hanoi. The sheer size of the Chinese invasion force enabled it to crush North Vietnamese resistance. Soviet advisors asked Moscow for guidance of how to proceed as did Soviet naval forces. US military commanders were in constant communication with the Nixon Administration to establish new military guidelines involving two simultaneous conflicts... one that involved US forces with a second conflict that did not involve US forces as of this time.
Some points of discussion:
1. How would the Chinese invasion in 1969 alter US strategy? What would the impact be on the US peace movement? How would this alter the 1972 US Presidential election?
2. Do we believe that such an action would exacerbate the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict? If so, to what degree?
3. What in the heck do US forces do now? First, the US was fighting a guerilla war. Domestic policy inhibited the US from invading North Vietnam, now we see North Vietnam having to fight a two front war against two superpowers. We see the possibility of a Sino-Soviet nuclear conflict. Does the US withdraw from the area? Does the US consolidate South Vietnam? Does the US proceed to invade North Vietnam?
4. The Soviet Union would have a hard time supplying North Vietnam as their shipping routes would involve running a gauntlet of US and Chinese naval forces.
Please let me know your thoughts. This is a topic I had been thinking about for a while.
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